Moving toward excellence

DAN DeROSE
Guest columnist

Published: September 8, 2013;Last modified: September 8, 2013 05:00AM

Dan DeRose of Pueblo is chairman of the Colorado State University-Pueblo Foundation board of directors.

Over the past 80 years, Colorado State University-Pueblo has always been on the move. From the founding of Pueblo Junior College in 1933 on the Orman campus to today’s Colorado State University-Pueblo on the 600-acre Belmont campus, Pueblo’s premier institution of higher education has made an impact on the academic and economic fronts in Southern Colorado.

On Aug. 29, the CSU-Pueblo Foundation announced the exciting “On The Move” campaign to raise money for the betterment of the university and for the Southern Colorado region.

The “On The Move” campaign has a goal of raising $25 million over the next three years to provide student scholarships, expand the intercollegiate athletics department and to renovate on-campus facilities. The CSU-Pueblo Foundation board of directors urge everyone, current Pueblo community members, CSU-Pueblo alums and Southern Colorado natives to consider contributing to this venture because not only will this improve the university, it will improve the city.

CSU-Pueblo has the momentum to become one of the top colleges in the state, both academically and athletically.

The foundation board envisions a CSU-Pueblo where students from all over Colorado and the nation want to attend for the quality education, campus safety and the best student life around. The board of directors envision Pueblo high school students choosing CSU-Pueblo as their first choice of college instead of going elsewhere in Colorado or out of state.

The addition of a wider offering of varsity athletic programs and state-of-the-art academic facilities will bring interest from a larger segment of students who may have overlooked it before for being “too small.”

The CSU-Pueblo Foundation board of directors wants more Pueblo kids to have the opportunity to attend college to improve their lives. A large portion of the money raised will go to offer scholarships to many more students than what are currently being offered. Many Pueblo residents who wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend college otherwise will benefit from this.

Increasing campus enrollment benefits the city of Pueblo.

It keeps our economy growing and injects new life and vibrancy into the city. Let’s continue to show people that Pueblo is a desirable place to be. If you love this town as I do, please consider donating a little, or a lot.

You will be investing in the betterment of your hometown.

We need the entire Pueblo community and CSU-Pueblo graduates to come together to help this great university change the lives of Pueblo’s future leaders and business entrepreneurs. Every gift, no matter how small, impacts the lives of our students and can be the difference in a student being able to afford to attend CSU-Pueblo.

Please visit csuponthemove.org to learn more about the “On The Move” campaign or call the CSU-Pueblo Foundation Office at 549-2380.